Senior Program Associate – Acumen Academy India

Acumen We are investors. A different kind of investor. We invest in people and companies working to solve problems for people living in poverty… essential products and services that bring more opportunities, more choices to millions. To date, Acumen has positively impacted 309 million lives by investing $137M in 139 innovative, early-stage companies in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. But investment is not only about capital, we have also been investing in innovators for years, connecting with emerging leaders around the world and engaging them in collective dialogue, moral inquiry, and skill building.

About Acumen Academy India

Our mission is to unleash a new generation of social innovators and leaders with the determination and grit to build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world. Acumen Academy provides the practical tools, practices and resources needed to create new solutions for an interdependent world.

Flagship Fellowship Program: The Acumen India Fellows Program is seven months, fully-funded leadership development program that gives up to 40 individuals from across India the training they need to accelerate their social impact and leadership potential. Our Fellows Programs provide emerging leaders the opportunity to connect and collaborate with like-minded individuals, participate in world-class training seminars, and develop new skills to accelerate their own growth and the trajectory of their work and the work of their organizations. With over 225 Alumni in India now, and over 800 globally, we are thinking about the next chapter of our work in India, which includes continuing to strengthen and grow our flagship program, expand leadership programmatic offerings in India and support Fellows in their lifelong journey beyond their Fellowship year. Essentially, we are now executing on a growth strategy to build the leadership capacity for, and of, more social change leaders in India. India Acumen Fellowship has pivoted and transformed in the past few years in terms of curriculum as well as delivery. For 2023, the plan is to launch 2 cohorts simultaneously. We will be executing 3 seminars and 2 workshops model where fellows meet physically for two 6-days long seminars and rest is virtual.

Acumen is looking for an individual with at least 6 years of experience, to help us deliver our curriculum in our all-India Programs. Experience with facilitation and knowledge of the social sector is required. The role is based remotely, with travel to seminars for facilitation and travel to Mumbai office.

Role Overview

The Senior Program Associate is responsible for most of the execution of the Fellowship program for Acumen Academy, India. They co-design the vision and strategy of the fellowship with the Program Lead and then operationalize that vision. They deliver content and work with other facilitators that do while also ensuring the program participants experience an enabling culture for learning. They help to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of all programs through established systems.

Accountabilities

Co-create Strategy & Manage Execution

• Co-create vision and strategy with the Program Lead for the Fellowship
• Create an operational plan for each program with resources, budget, roles and timelines
• Project manage each Fellowship
• Manage logistics and operations for each Fellowship (including the Learning Management System, communication with Fellows, travel and accommodation etc)
• Liaison with internal and external facilitators for delivery of content
• Liaison with global team for curriculum, data and process support

Prioritize and Deliver Content/ Curriculum

• Prioritize the timing and depth of each content piece with the Program Lead
• Design and manage pre-work
• Facilitate (with Program Lead and external facilitators) the session content for 3 seminars and 2 workshops (for Fellowship programs)
• Induct, support, equip and debrief the external facilitators and content coaches
• Coaching participants/ Fellows 1:1 3 times a year towards their leadership development through effective feedback and reflection questions

Co-creating a Culture for Learning with Fellows/ Participants and Program Lead

• Build deep, meaningful relationships with the participants
• Co-create culture and norms with the participants in a program and Program Lead towards meeting the goals of the program
• Creating structures to develop strong bonds amongst participants of a program
• Implementing mechanisms to address culture breaches for participants

Monitor and Evaluate the Effectiveness of Programs

• Executing and refining systems of data collection for program effectiveness
• Analyzing data and using it to make short- and long-term decisions to increase program effectiveness

Support on Recruitment and Alumni Functions

• Support the execution of the recruitment and selection process through selecting applicants and ensuring a smooth transition from selection to Fellowship
• Support the alumni team through connecting with alumni, facilitating at events etc
• Support in development of a robust and active Fellows community by connecting Fellows to new individuals, networks, or opportunities that contribute to their leadership development and/or their social impact. Support the building and executing of  community programs for past Fellows based on India strategy

Qualifications and Skills

• At least 6 years’ work experience in a related field (preferably in training, fellowships or leadership development)
• Prior work experience in a fast-paced environment, ability to work efficiently against tight deadlines
• Experience in designing strong sessions and facilitating them towards leadership development
• Able to build strong relationships and develop/ coach people
• Clear, inspiring written and verbal communication with stakeholders
• Able to plan and execute a program towards meeting goals through operationalizing the plan
• Able to build enabling team culture and monitor it
• Able to collect data, analyse it and use it plan strategically towards meeting goals
• Able to work collaboratively with several stakeholders and work respectfully with diverse communities
• Able to self-reflect and is aligned with Acumen values.
• Takes ownership of own learning through structured and unstructured environments
• Familiarity with the social entrepreneurs, social intrapreneurs, impact investing or development sectors (preferred)
• 2 years of managing people and developing them (preferred)